Probable age/origin of a 4 key blackwood/ebony(?) piccolo?

Irish Flute
1

Hi, I’ve just bought this piccolo via ebay and am intending to get it up and running as a playable instrument. However, I am wondering if anyone could help me with likely age and background of the instrument. I will post more pictures when I get the instrument, but for now, you can get a fairly good idea looking at the ebay listing.

The ebay article number is 280090706016. The description says that it is from the clearing out of an instrument maker’s workshop. I presume due to retiral, death or relocation - the seller does not say, but he/she is also selling a number of other bits and pieces supposedly from the same clearout, so I can believe the description.

Anyone out there tried playing Piccolo in a session as an alternative to penny whistle?

Chris

2

Looking at the length, isn’t 39cm a bit long for a high D? Maybe I’ve got some strange key here - hopefully not Bb - although that would have its’ uses too… Hmm, now I’m really curious as to what I’ve gone and bought here…

–edit–
Looking at Tery McGee’s page on flute lengths, 39cm seems to be what would be expected for a B-flat “band flute” - maybe that’s what I’ve got here. Maybe I can accompany the GHB with it?
–end edit–

Chris.

3

That would be my guess.

With four keys wouldn’t it be fairly versatile?

4

Ok, I’ve got the flute now, unjammed the slide, not yet replaced the headcork, repadded one key, lubricated the others, greased the joints and tried playing it.

It is a Bflat flute as we expected. However, the very bottom note seems to be sharp compared with all the others. Even compared with the second octave bell note! By about 50 cents! And the Eflat (all left hand fingers down is also a bit sharp. Now this could all just be my blowing and it may sort itself out once I get a bit more used to the flute, but…

Stangely the second octave seems to be better in tune, and I haven’t got very far into the third octave yet… Also it is almost an octave between the C (all but lowest right hand finger down - tried both with and without the B natural key pressed) in both first and second octaves, but well under an octave on the Bflat! The B natural (with the key) is somewhere in between the two. I have tried to do my octave jumps as neutrally as I can, either mainly using extra support, just using embouchure or using both.

Is there some known peculiarity in flutes of this type, that there is some kind of peculiar end effect on the bell note?

5

Could this be caused by a leaking key? Perhaps the key just above the bottom “D” hole (F Nat?)

Edit to add, I have no experience with repair and the above is just a wild guess.

6

do that…then try small changes in position